Truman Books

I found this to be a very interesting book and did not want to put it down. Could not wait to see what happened next. Author did a very good job telling Truman's story, and to think he actually knew the character. Wonderful job!

Charlotte

To be able to have befriened a criminal who lived with the worst of worst, and was able to write about him is hard to comprehend. Most authors "dream" up their stories. This is a book that anyone not believing that there is a higher power needs to read and absorb. As an avid reader, I strongly recomment this book.

Hounded is a well-written and very interesting true story of an outlaw whose life was redeemed by the Lord. The story illustrates the great depth, width, and height of God's love for His children. The Lord does not give up on you. He keeps prodding harder and deeper as He strives to bring you to a saving knowledge of His Son. Truman's story is illustrative of this profound truth. Reverend Neal does an outstanding job of conveying the nature of the Hound of Heaven. Nothing can outreach the love of God.

Wow! Very entertaining, interesting and informative book. It is apparent the Mahoney
Brothers would have had more notoriety than Bonnie and Clyde, had all of their
escapades been exposed. The author has an outstanding writing ability, and
adds a christian perspective from his personal relationship with Truman Mahoney.
This book affirms that the Lord desires all of us to come to the knowledge of His
amazing and saving grace.

This is a must read for lovers of true stories. Find out what it is really like to live in prison, to run from the law, to live in hiding.The life of Truman Mahoney runs the gambit -- from a robber and killer to a man who loved and served God. Truman's life was action-packed, humorous, and a life where good triumphs over evil. The author, Clifford Neal, presents this thrilling true life story in an easy to read and unique writing style. Very entertaining. Truman's life showed that God truly "hounded" him. God doesn't give up on HIS plan for your life. This book gives hope to everyone, no matter how impossible their circumstances seem.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons or LDS, revere Joseph Smith as a modern-day prophet. In 1820, at 14 years of age, he took the Bible's advice and asked God for enlightenment regarding his confusion over the many churches, religions, and doctrines. What followed was a vision of God and Jesus Christ, the translation of additional scriptures to join with the Bible, and the establishment of a Christian church which has enjoyed exponential and worldwide growth ever since then. This book is a look at Joseph Smith, his life and personality, which grew from Truman Madsen's original lectures at BYU Education Week.

I consider Bro. Madsen to be one of the most approachable historians on Joseph Smith, and the book is well-organized and informational. It is not an extensive academic study (although it is well referenced) but is written rather to be an approachable read for a wide audience. I've read it twice now as well as heard some of his lectures and enjoyed it very much. He points out that Joseph Smith never claimed to be perfect but he did what he was called to do and did it well and set the kind of example that is worthy of both reverence and emulation. He was a witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and endured brutal persecution, eventually giving his life as a martyr to this cause. The book is, of course, written for members of the LDS Church, who will find it uplifting and inspirational, although it's possible some of other faiths seeking to know more about Joseph Smith may find it useful as well.

Truman Madsen here draws on a deep well of primary (and other) sources to bring the reader to know the prophet Joseph. Madsen writes, "If my elementary shifting of documents and sharing of impressions moves others to look not simply at Joseph Smith but through him to the Master - and, with those efforts, to take a searching look at themselves - my efforts will have been more than worthwhile" (p5).

This book is the written adaptation of Madsen's famous Joseph Smith tapes, recorded from a series of lectures at BYU's Education Week. I heard these tapes when I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1994 or 1995 and was deeply inspired. A few years ago, I borrowed a copy of the tapes from my brother and had a very different reaction: I found Madsen's wildly dramatic delivery of the lectures distracting and annoying. But the stories were still powerful, so I obtained a copy of the book. I'm very glad that I did.

The book could be subtitled, "Marvelous and powerful stories you don't know about the prophet Joseph Smith and his friends," for ultimately - beyond the structure Madsen places on them - that is what the book entails. Much of the deliciousness appears in the footnotes, where Madsen gives his sources (again, most of them primary) and tells stories that don't fit in the lectures.

The book starts from the assumption that Joseph Smith is a prophet and a good man. For a more historical and thorough treatment of Joseph Smith (also by a member of the Church), try Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling.

I found it very inspiring. It indeed led me to look beyond Joseph and the other early members to the Savior: their love for Him and for His work inspires me to seek to do and to be better.

Madsen, through extended research and study, has written a concise, factual history of Joseph Smith, Jr. the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Without all the vitrolic, twisted truths and outright lies of many of the books about Joseph Smith, this book takes the reader through the events of Joseph life as well as his beliefs. It is honest. It is truthful. It is a breath of fresh air amongst the numerous books on this religious pioneer.

You can instantly tell after picking up this book the great love and devotion of the author, Truman G. Madsen, for the Latter-Day Prophet, Joseph Smith. This great knowledge and love really made this book a fantastic read that was hard to put down.

The chapters are actually different lectures that he gave about the prophet which where later compiled into this book. Each lecture focused on a different aspect of Joseph Smith's life. Truman G. Madsen has a lot of knowledge about him as he told many stories that I had never even heard of regarding Joseph Smith.

If you love Joseph Smith then this is a wonderful book to pick up. It will increase your love and understanding for the prophet.

This is the written form of Brother Madsen's first tape series on The Prophet Joseph. The book will be found to be easy and fulfilling reading. He references all of the stories that he tells on the tapes to make for eaiser research. The book is well done and is a great refrence for the causual reader or the soon to be Joseph Smith scholar.

We discovered this wonderful book by quite a happy, random pick at the library. We don't own any dogs, but my 3 year old would love to own Truman! He nearly rolls on the ground laughing at Truman's funny antics. And I can't get enough of the gorgeous, life-like illustrations. A new family favorite, for sure!

If you love big dogs, you will love this book. The pictures are perfect. Each page I turned I saw our own dogs, even though they are not mastifs,(we have newfoundlands,) it was my dog's expressions on Truman. Simple easy text. If you want to know what it is like to live with big dogs, or you have a large breed dog and you want a smile and a cute childrens book (my girls are 2 and 3,) this book is for you.

Loved the book, so did my little girl (2) it reminded the whole family of our deceased Mastiff. She had the exact same expressions.

Our family LOVES this book! My son chooses it almost every night! We have a mastiff and he's our gentle giant! When we read the book we fill in Juba's name for Truman. The kids get a kick out of that. Just like Truman, Juba gets yelled at cuz he's always in the way, or knocking the kids over with his tail or drooling on us. I think that he wishes he were a little dog! You will be glad you purchased this book, even if you don't have a mastiff

This is a beautifully illustrated picturebook. The water colored pictures are so vivid that Truman seems to come alive. He is a huge mischievious dog that makes you laugh and steals your heart. As the words are few, we have fun using our imaginations in adding to his antics. We love him no matter what trouble he gets himself into. Therein lies the lesson for the little ones. Their faces light up everytime we pull Truman out, and that is quite often!

This book is a joy to read. George Elsey has told the story of his experiences with clarity and continuity that makes history reading fun. The word serendipity came to mind numerous times while George relates the fortuitous events in his life. He does not belabor the reader with oft-told events that are common knowledge. His narrative style paints a vivid picture of how important and significant world affairs melded together through the 40s, 50s and 60s. Persons who also grew up in this time-frame will immediately relate to the events. George Mckee Elsey still exhibited his sharpness of mind during a recent radio program on NPR called, The Book Guys.

George Elsey was one of the architects of Truman's upset of 1948. Truman even predicted the outcome some weeks before the election to Elsey and Elsey put the prediction in a safe place. Truman was a little optimistic, but he really defied the odds and the bookmakers in Nevada by beating Tom Dewey.
This is a must for any fan of Harry S Truman. Bet they sell lots of this book at the Truman Library in Independence, MO. There were no two people like Bess and Harry Truman.

From National Review Online:
An Unplanned Life, by George M. Elsey. The newly published reminiscences of the author's days as a Naval aide to FDR and speechwriter and advisor to President Truman. Now 87, Mr. Elsey spent many hours with Roosevelt in the White House Map Room, served as the president's personal witness to the invasion of Normandy, and decoded and delivered to Truman the first report of the mission over Hiroshima. The stories are fascinating and engagingly told - the product of careful note-taking, an undimmed memory, and a modest, gentlemanly character. --Matthew Scully

George Elsey was a Harvard graduate student in history who wound up as a 23 year old Naval Aide to FDR in the midst of World War II. Thus began an unplanned career as a key witness, participant, and recorder of one of the most important chapters in our nation's history.

Working in the Map Room, he coded, decoded, read, and transmitted the most top secrets of the war, including:

-Handing Churchill the news that the Allies had sunk three German U-Boats, which Churchill knew meant that we'd broken the top secret German Enigma code. Churchill jumped up and down and shouted "We got them! We got them! We got them!" This was in May, 1943, regarded by many as the turning point of the war.
-Handing FDR the news that Mussolini's government had collapsed in July, 1943.
-Handing Truman the news of the atomic bomb.

But he didn't just pass along news, he made news. He was a key architect of Truman's foreign policy, and also nudged him to proceed with civil rights speeches. And then during the "greatest political upset of the century," George Elsey wrote Truman's speeches during his famous Whistle Stop Campaign, sometimes as many as 15 speeches a day.

He had many more accomplishments in government life as well.

He worked at the Red Cross for over 20 years, 13 as President, and was personally responsible for many of the core tenets that live on to this day.

George Elsey is the kind of man we all want to be, and his story, written with great candor, modesty, and precision, reminds us that giants used to roam the halls of the White House.

While the title of this book could fit most of our lives, most of us do not get to go to Princeton, and then assigned to work in the White House through World War II and beyond.

Mr. Elsey did this and more. He was assigned to the White House early in the war. He was to remain, first with Roosevelt and then with Truman for many years. Later, during the Viet Nam war he worked with Clark Clifford looking for ways to get out of the war. Finally he spent a long career with the Red Cross.

This career placed him near the center of power for many of the critical years of the 20th century. Now at 88 years old, it is clear that his memory is still sharp. And as his attitude towards life comes through it is easy to see how he would have fit into many different assignments.

The photograph section of the book is fascinating as it shows him off to the side or behind the president, but often with people very powerful in their own right.

At one time, railroads served as the connective tissue of America, tying its far-flung communities and large cities together with safe, no-hassle travel. All of that changed upon the advent of interstates and cheap gas. Fast-forward to the current day where Alfred Runte, author of many environmental histories, tells of railroad's heyday, its slow decline, and its emerging renaissance.

ALLIES OF THE EARTH is filled with nostalgic photographs and illustrations that whisk readers away to bygone days. In addition to Mr. Runte's arguments for a return to good, affordable passenger service, he carries readers across the decades with stops at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks.

If you have been searching for an attractive tome containing compelling arguments for a return to reasonable American rail service, then ALLIES OF THE EARTH is for you.

I highly recommend it.

ALLIES OF THE EARTH: RAILROADS AND THE SOUL OF PRESERVATION comes from an environmentalist and historian whose concurrent exploration of railroad history and environmental preservation efforts draw together in an unusual survey of both. When he realized America's parks had been formed by railroads, he followed the historical connections between environmental efforts and rail history, blending in a first-person travelogue of experience with history, culture, political and social influences, and preservation challenges alike. While difficult to easily categorize, this reaches across categories and collection boundaries and even will appeal into the public library setting as a unique leisure choice.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Runte, who has written extensively about national parks, applies the same reasoning that supports their existence and preservation to the case for passenger trains as common carriers and agents of preservation. A rail-based transportation network, he argues, is a key component to maintaining the American landscape and fostering sustainable development and historic preservation. Written with authority and clarity, as well as a touch of the poetic, Runte shows how the US has failed to learn the lessons of its own past and Europe's present. It is an easy but thought-provoking read that will turn any environmentalist into a passenger rail advocate.

This well researched, wrtten and handsomely illustrated book makes the case that the environmental, historic preservation and even the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s, missed the boat in not seeking to preserve the private passenger rail network.

I've read Drosnin's book on Torah codes, but this is serious scholarship here. Every statement is supported, he actually shows you the notes and work for every code. It is clearly all there. He gives every reference so you can find it yourself. The author is obviously excited about the subject and the findings. My favorite part is the first Isaiah 11 code.

Absolutely stunning! No tricks, no skewed logic here. The author never points to himself - always to Jesus. You see clearly in the Old Testament, Jesus, Messiah, Cross, Resurrection, the names of the Apostles, and much more among the Hebrew letters, in verses that apply to the words revealed in the book. You do not have to know Hebrew to see it clearly. You cannot describe the effect it has on you when you see WITHOUT A DOUBT, God and only God has written and preserved the Bible. It's an awesome book cause it shows us an awesome God. Anyone wondering about the authenticity of the writings of the Bible or about the writings of any religion Must have this book.

I've read Drosnin's book on Torah codes, but heard there were problems with validating his findings, this, however is serious scholarship. Every statement is supported - he actually shows you the notes and work for every code! It is clearly all there. He gives every reference so you can find it yourself. The author is obviously excited about the subject and the findings. My favorite part is the first Isaiah 11 code.

Behold Yeshua! Come and see... opened my heart and mind and soul to the beauty of GOD's WORD... Every Chapter, every Verse, every Word, every Letter... even the *spaces* between the Letters bring Glory to our LORD and SAVIOUR, YESHUA HaMASCHIACH!

Excellent book for anyone who deals with a service provider networks. Main focus is on broadband and explanation about TR-101 model and broadband deployment.

Broadband Network Architectures: Designing and Deploying Triple-Play Services provides a detailed introduction to next-generation triple-play services, components and business connectivity, covering everything from protocols and strategies for blending BNGs into networks to choosing access protocols and handling IP addressing. Any college-level computer library strong in network design needs BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURES, which addresses the latest field-tested industry best practices and trends.

Practical and easy to follow implementation stategies for triple play services on a broadband architecture. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone involved with network architecture design.

I was looking for a resource to get up to speed on capabilities, options and configurations as my company is facing decisions in this area. This book does an excellent job providing background and bringing you right up to where broadband networks stand today. As my company and customers are spreadout, we are interested in video and telephony over the net and the book has complete coverage of "triple play" scenarios with multiple vendors. This is a very useful resource.

This book is de rigeur for all wannabe prose-stylists. In an era when I fell asleep reading the first sentences of my fellow college writers, discovering Capote was like falling in love for the first time -- realizing there IS someone else out there like you, who isn't depraved or in denial (not too much more than the rest of humanity, anyway). He is both intelligent and entertaining, a good liar and also, at times, one of the most honest people I've ever read.

His so-called nonfiction is some of the best writing of the 20th century, I don't care if it's really "true" or not -- seriously, people, take the log out of your own eye before you accuse a WRITER of lying. Ha ha! No one can ever know the whole truth, but Capote wrote the truth as he saw and subsequently remembered it.

Anyway, just read this. It's good. I promise.

Especially lovely are the pieces "The White Rose" and the masterpiece novella "Handcarved Coffins"; the Cecil Beaton piece is fascinating and the essays are really first rate. The interviews with himself are charming.

This is a great anthology of the late Truman Capote's work. It includes almost everything he ever wrote. It is a magnificent work. What struck me most was Capote's versatility. He could write beautiful short stories, travel pieces, non fiction, essays, and novellas. I had a difficult time finding this book, but the writing in it is so wonderful that it was definitly worth it. It is a joy to read. Capote's masterful ear for the English language was a wonderful gift that made him one of the greatest writers, and he deserves to have this anthology in print again.

I think the test of Truman Capote as a writer is the section of this book called 'Portraits', sketches and longer pieces on the famous: actors, writers, photographers, fashion designers etc. These are generally priceless. The long article on Marlon Brando, for example, captures the enigmatic restlessness of this extraordinary actor in a way no writer (and few directors) has ever done, mostly by observation. However, even here, there are passages, such as when Brando is on the phone, and Capote looks out the window and tries to describe local Japanese atmosphere, that are pure phoney baloney, an attempt to inject art into 'mere' reportage that mocks the latter while failing in the former. His portrait of Marilyn Monroe is, again, the best I've ever read when it is merely observation, or a conversation between the auther and a real, believable, very likeable woman, but sheer bunkum when he tries to mythologise her, etherealising her on the beach. At other times, his prose reads like something from Vogue in its arch superficiality. These are genuine problems, but these portraits are highly readable - the piece on Gide and Cocteau is a little comic masterpiece.

Truman Capote could write dark drama and high comic fiction with equal skill. The charisma of his personality translated to the page. His fame eclipsed his actual writing, and diminished the seriousness of his reputation, and I recommend any reader to read this as an introduction to Capote's genius, if they have only heard of him, but haven't read him. "A Jug of Silver" is an especially charming short story. And Capote's interview with one of the Manson family is fascinating, in that it relates a different (than Bugliossi's), and believable theory for why the Manson murders went down. Capote is/was one of America's greatest writers, of any era.

If you're looking for a book of a photographer who single-mindedly captures fashion, portraiture, landscape and still life flawlessly with his unique style, Albert Watson's Cyclops is the book for you. Included in the book is a brief overview of Watson the man who since birth has had only sight in one eye and has been given the gift of dazzling every other eye known to man. In the interior you can indulge yourself with black and white photographs that can instantly give rise to a feeling of sensuality, pain and pleasure. Whether it be celebrities or artifacts Watson manipulates the subject to create a vision only he can see and we can enjoy and recognize as his signature style. The book is a bit small but beautifully made.

When I first saw the book, I was transfixed. I must have spent quite a number of hours going through the pages, standing up, the world dissolving around me. My particular favorite is one picture of Gary Oldman lying in a coffin. It captured him perfectly. I don't know much about photography, but the beauty of his works is that it can be understood and loved by anyone - there is a human association within every shot. For a while I was reluctant to buy it - the price was a bit too much for me, but I kept on returning to the bookstore to see it, taking a half an hour bus ride each time at the other side of the city. I grew restless when I didn't take the ritual visit. Eventually I did get it - and I finally feel complete. He captured perfection.

Cyclops is more than a vision, but some of the most emotionally moving frames one will ever look upon. He is a genius and can capture beauty, pain, anger, and delight all in one single image.

Albert Watson's images in this book are quite simply some of the best images of Black & White photography in any book! They are technically perfect and arrestingly beautiful. His images are powerful, moving, creative, and always well composed. Furthermore, the printing in this book is one of the best I've ever seen.

If you appriciate masterful black & white images you would probably be happy with this book even if you had paid 5 times what this costs!

This book is truly a must-have for anyone who appriciates great photography

I read this book in no time. In the good old days of great letter writing, these two protagonists enjoyed a rich and historic friendship. Although sometimes on the opposite sides of issues, the friendship betwen former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Harry Truman was a rich and ultimately fascinating exercise in camaraderie and mutual aid.
From reading these fascinating letters, it is obvious that these two old friends actually enjoyed talking and exchanging ideas and opinions.

This book, as edited, weaves a moving and extremely interesting story, reading very much like a good biography.
I highly recommend this book, a good example of history making exciting reading.

This book is a compilation of letters exchanged between Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt during Truman's presidency. The book has an easy-to-read style largely because the author adds dialog to explain the situations, events, and results of what the letters mention. By using this dialog-letter combination, a great deal of history is presented in an entertaining manner.

I would highly recommend this book as a followup immediately after reading the biography Truman, by David McCullough. With a little bit of Truman history, not only will you find this book a great source of behind the scenes information, you'll also discover that the letters written by Eleanor Roosevelt are a joy to read. She was truly a gifted writer with the ability to put emotions and thoughts into the written word in a manner that could be described as artistic.

He was a farm boy, the descendant of Missouri pioneers. She was a debutante of the New York aristocracy. On April 12th, 1945, her husband and his boss, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, died in office. Mrs. Roosevelt summoned Vice-president Truman to the White House and said, "Harry, the president is dead." "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, and Mrs. Roosevelt replied, "Is there anything we can do you? For you are the one in trouble now."

Thus begins a correspondence that will last until their deaths, here collected by editor Steve Neal to give the reader a top-of-the-heap, behind-the-headlines look at the end of World War II, the Marshall Plan, the creation of the state of Israel, public versus private schooling, Eleanor's opinion of the British (not high, wait till you see how she tells Harry to handle Churchill), Harry's opinion of American hate crimes against Japanese Americans (he's damn lucky this letter wasn't released to the public back then), and much more. Eleanor is at first a little patronizing, a little arrogant, and more than a little disingenuous in many protestations of "oh you don't have listen to little old me, but as long as you are..." Harry is at first a little defensive, a little impatient, and more than a little dismissive of Eleanor's opinions, particular of people she wants in office and he doesn't. By his second term, Harry has grown into his new job, Eleanor has grown into hers, and they both grow into what eventually reads like a friendship of sincere mutual respect and even affection.

Steve Neal has compiled some 250 letters between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman when he took office after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. In this small but thoughtful book, Neal combines commentary pertinent to the times or to the letter itself. While they disagreed on many things, he repeatedly asked her to write to him with her thoughts on events of the day, which she did and with great candor. President Truman was the first to call Mrs. Roosevelt "First Lady of the World." I heartily recomment this book to those who wish to know these two great people a bit better.